I was making a silly SuperSoaker grindhouse video when I crashed into the concrete. Had a little blood and caught it on camera at 200fps

Seriously, is this what healthcare has come to in America? Seriously? 10 minutes of work in a dirty hosiptal. Lazy nurses. And almost $7000 for a few minutes of work! I can't be alone in thinking this is outrageous right?

If you understood the way medicine works in the US, you would know that the charges have nothing to do with what the hospital collects. That bill is simply a wish, that is the maximum that the hospital wants to receive. What it gets is based on the agreement the hospital has with your insurance company, and they will likely receive less than a third of charges. One reason the fee is high is because, no hospital can turn anyone away, meaning most of who it sees has no way of paying for it. Hospitals have to make up for that by charging more for everyone else. If all people had insurance, the hospitals in theory could compete for everyones business, which would lower rates.

You haven't even received the bill from the ER physician yet.

If you were so unwise as to not have insurance , you are screwed and unless you negotiate with the hospital/MD, they will likely try to collect the full amount.

You are just beginning to realize that the health care setup in this country has gone haywire, many like you who have not needed to access the health care industry before now are starting to see how screwed up it is. Everyone is affected.

If you understood the way medicine works in the US, you would know that the charges have nothing to do with what the hospital collects. That bill is simply a wish, that is the maximum that the hospital wants to receive. What it gets is based on the agreement the hospital has with your insurance company, and they will likely receive less than a third of charges. One reason the fee is high is because, no hospital can turn anyone away, meaning most of who it sees has no way of paying for it. Hospitals have to make up for that by charging more for everyone else. If all people had insurance, the hospitals in theory could compete for everyones business, which would lower rates.

You haven't even received the bill from the ER physician yet.

If you were so unwise as to not have insurance , you are screwed and unless you negotiate with the hospital/MD, they will likely try to collect the full amount.

You are just beginning to realize that the health care setup in this country has gone haywire, many like you who have not needed to access the health care industry before now are starting to see how screwed up it is. Everyone is affected.

Correct, some details are a little off but the general consensus is correct, I audit hospitals for a living and if you have insurance you'd have maybe a few hundred dollars out of pocket in the form of a copay/coinsurance or deductible and your insurance covers the rest according to their contract. If you don't have insurance, you'll need to speak directly with the hospital and see if you are applicable for any Medicaid or other federal or state funded programs, you drive a BMW, so odds are you won't qualify, better get insurance, besides, legally, you'll have to soon.

If you understood the way medicine works in the US, you would know that the charges have nothing to do with what the hospital collects. That bill is simply a wish, that is the maximum that the hospital wants to receive. What it gets is based on the agreement the hospital has with your insurance company, and they will likely receive less than a third of charges. One reason the fee is high is because, no hospital can turn anyone away, meaning most of who it sees has no way of paying for it. Hospitals have to make up for that by charging more for everyone else. If all people had insurance, the hospitals in theory could compete for everyones business, which would lower rates.

You haven't even received the bill from the ER physician yet.

If you were so unwise as to not have insurance , you are screwed and unless you negotiate with the hospital/MD, they will likely try to collect the full amount.

You are just beginning to realize that the health care setup in this country has gone haywire, many like you who have not needed to access the health care industry before now are starting to see how screwed up it is. Everyone is affected.

if you have no insurance then you are free to negotiate with the hospital and ER physician directly.

I would certainly expect the physician to take what amount you offer...I would start at about $300 and max at $500. If you call them and say the you have no insurance but are willing to pay today with a credit card, I can almost guarantee that they will take you offer.

Use the same tactic with the hospital, but since they are a large bureaucracy it may be more difficult.

Also, tell them you are willing to pay what medicaid rates are...which they also accept....why should you pay more than they would otherwise accept

Agreed, that bill is a wish. I would go to the hospital admin and offer to pay what an HMO would give them and not a penny more... About $2500. Stop by their office every other day, and at 4:45pm on Fridays and the day before a holiday weekend... Till they let you pay what you want.

Healthcare in the US is ridiculous because people are covering the costs for uninsured, indigent illegals, terminal patient care, etc. There are a few cases where I think a hositpal should be able turn away a patient... One is a motorcycle accident (FYI, I love motorcycles and scooters!) where the victim chose NOT to wear a helmet. The other is drug addict overdoses... You choose to do something that puts your life in critical danger, and well, you die, it's that simple.

Also remember, if you go to the hospital for an injury, many tests are going to be ordered, some to diagnose the problems and others to cover the docs ass. Lawsuits are the reason for excessive care given. US is number 1 in MRI tests ordered.

If you understood the way medicine works in the US, you would know that the charges have nothing to do with what the hospital collects. That bill is simply a wish, that is the maximum that the hospital wants to receive. What it gets is based on the agreement the hospital has with your insurance company, and they will likely receive less than a third of charges. One reason the fee is high is because, no hospital can turn anyone away, meaning most of who it sees has no way of paying for it. Hospitals have to make up for that by charging more for everyone else. If all people had insurance, the hospitals in theory could compete for everyones business, which would lower rates.

You haven't even received the bill from the ER physician yet.

If you were so unwise as to not have insurance , you are screwed and unless you negotiate with the hospital/MD, they will likely try to collect the full amount.

You are just beginning to realize that the health care setup in this country has gone haywire, many like you who have not needed to access the health care industry before now are starting to see how screwed up it is. Everyone is affected.

You said it exactly.

Hospital says a price - that price is negotiated down, often thousands of dollars.

The bottom line, if you didn't notice on the bill, that $551 for the "actual" stitches, that's about as much as will be obtained for the visit.

Also you have to ask, were any other studies done - xrays, CT scans, etc. Those things cost money too.

The bottom line is that it's a shitty system for people with and without insurance, and is about to get a whole lot worse.

3 hours in and out of an ER in california is actually pretty good. Remember - sickest come first and if the doctor has to resuscitate someone, you have to wait.

+1 to that, I got two stitches for something (only reason I went was because it was across my eyebrow and I didn't want one of those tough guys scars) and hey charged me 300 at the hospital. A few leaks later I got a bill for another 300$ from the physician. I was like.... wtf.

That's like going and getting an oil change, paying for it, and then getting a bill in the mail from the mechanic a few weeks later.

+1 to that, I got two stitches for something (only reason I went was because it was across my eyebrow and I didn't want one of those tough guys scars) and hey charged me 300 at the hospital. A few leaks later I got a bill for another 300$ from the physician. I was like.... wtf.

That's like going and getting an oil change, paying for it, and then getting a bill in the mail from the mechanic a few weeks later.

The difference is that most physicians are not employed by hospitals...

Agree, IMO, this paradigm has allowed insurance companies to in essence "practice medicine without a license". When medical decisions have been removed from the doctor/patient by allowing insurance companies to agree to pay for what is/isn't being done, based on its own definitions of "standards of care", and especially the ability to deny care based on its own definition of "experimental procedures" it is dangerous.

Not even talking about cancellation of coverage when one is already sick, denial based on pre-existing conditions, etc. These abuses are shameful/immoral.

I got 8 stitches in the bottom of my foot from running up a broken escalator in sandals in Barcelona. Not my brightest moment. I never got a single bill for it, and was treated right away. Only bad thing was I don't speak spanish so they cleaned it with iodine and no pain killers (although don't know why you would need it with just stitches)

I feel you OP, another reason medical costs are so high is the insurance for the hospital/physician/tech...I had to get an mri done for reoccuring back pain and they wanted to charge me around 2k for it, on top of the nearly 30k price tag on hospital usage and surgeon fee for my back surgery. So what did I do being the broke single college student with no health insurance? Flew to japan, got my mri and surgery done with the same equipment and just as qualified staff as in the states, for around 2k USD...sad isn't it the state of the american medical industry

While it is a given that US health care is quite expensive, it is difficult to compare costs to those countries that utilize a social medicine system. While the patient is treated to low costs in health care, the bill is still "getting paid" in the from of an elevated tax base. This may be part of the reason, that a lot more people are paying $100,000 plus for an M3 and $8.50 a gallon for gas in other parts of the world.

I have experience with the German health care system. Did you know that the ER can make the assessment that you are not experiencing a true emergency and can turn you away from care with the recommendation that you follow up with your primary care provider? That is a great way to cut costs!

This would never happen in the US. It would not be because the ER staff did not care, it would the ever-present threat of a lawsuit. A threat that is also not very common in other countries. Anyone ever consider what tort reform would do to the costs of health care?

There is a large emphasis placed on preventative medicine in other parts of the world, which also trims costs. When the ER is not used a primary care facility, everyone wins.